SKorea bans fishery products from Fukushima region

In this handout image provided by Tokyo Electric Power Co, leaked radioactive water remains near the tank at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on August 19, 2013 in Okuma, Fukushima, Japan. An estimated 300 tons of highly radioactive water has leaked from a tank at the Fukushima nuclear plant, with much of the polluted water apparently seeping into the ground (Tokyo Electric Power Co via Getty Images)

Related Links

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea is banning all fish imports from Japan's Fukushima region because of what it calls growing public worry over radiation contamination that has reportedly prompted a sharp decline in fish consumption.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said in a statement Friday that it made the move because of insufficient information from Tokyo about what will happen in the future with contaminated water leaking from the a crippled nuclear plant into the Pacific.

Seoul imposed a partial ban on Japanese fish following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to a meltdown at the Fukushima plant. All fishery products from Fukushima and seven other nearby prefectures are now banned.

Scientists have found high levels of radioactive cesium in fish near the plant. Fisheries off Fukushima are closed.